The Pioneer Gift

Cathy Ross ;  Jonny Baker

Pioneer ministry happens among the 88% of the population that the Church does not reach. Even if the best practices of growing churches were rolled out across every parish, 75% of the population would remain untouched, so pioneer ministry is about doing things differently - literally ripping up the existing manual and starting again. The situation demands urgency, imagination and energy - and a good theological grounding which this book sets out to provide. Ordained pioneer ministry is a significant and growing presence in the Church of England and the Methodist Church and in denominations around the world. Here leading practitioners and theologians in the pioneer movement including Doug Gay, Liz Sercombe, Beth Keith, Gerald Arbuckle and others reflect on emerging trends, practices and key theological challenges. They explore how people experience transformation, contextual engagement, dissent as a form of leadership, emerging patterns of urban ministry, whether the language of sin and guilt works today, challenges assumptions about how pioneer ministry is learned and more.